Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024 and is suitably qualified. They were present for both days of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/08/2022 Full Good 15/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they enjoy living in their home. They speak of feeling safe and secure and can identify a trusted adult who will spend time with them if they feel scared or upset. One child said, ‘It’s good living here. The staff are nice people and I get on well with them. I can speak to them night or day.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into and out of the home are well planned. When children move into the home, staff consider their needs and feelings well. Parents of children appreciate this effort. One parent said, ‘The home really wanted it to be a positive move for my child and they worked hard to make that happen.’ When children leave the home, staff create meaningful moments, such as arranging a leaving meal, to help them say goodbye and feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Therapeutic provision is meaningfully embedded within the home’s care of children. A Forensic Psychologist in Training visits weekly to provide structured input and professional oversight. Children benefit from individual therapeutic support plans, which support staff to understand and respond to the impact of children’s early life experiences. One child’s social worker felt that this approach was key to their child’s development and progress. They said their child was ‘well supported and contained by staff. This is exactly what we wanted for them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in their education. Staff promote regular attendance and work effectively with the in-house therapist to maintain strong links with schools. For example, one child who had previously found it difficult to access education benefited from a coordinated ‘circle of adults’ meeting led by the in-house psychologist. This multi- agency approach enabled a shared understanding of the child’s needs and helped the child feel safe and supported in returning to school. As a result, the child recently completed their mock GCSE examinations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate and reward children’s achievements. They consistently complete daily praise cards for the children. The children receive these cards every evening, before they go to bed. These are collated into personalised books. This helps to build children’s self- esteem and demonstrates that staff care about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are aspects of the home that make it feel warm and homely. The children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, the manager has not consistently addressed shortfalls in the home environment in a timely way. This has led to the garden being overgrown and untidy. This detracts from the welcoming environment for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children in this home are protected from harm. They have safe adults they can talk to when they have worries. If children share a concern, action is taken to help them. The manager has appropriately escalated concerns when there has been a delay in agency responses. This means that children know their worries are taken seriously.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the children’s individual vulnerabilities. There are plans in place to reduce the risk of harm. One social worker said that there is well-co-ordinated mental health support for a child in the home. As a result, this child’s risk of self-harm is reducing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are supported to understand the risks associated with drug and alcohol use. The manager has ensured that a drug and alcohol service visits the home each week and meets with the children individually. Children are benefiting from the relationships they are developing with this agency. This is supported by staff completing weekly discussions with the agency before they meet, to identify current needs. This means that children’s current risks around alcohol and substance abuse are lessening.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical intervention is rarely used in the home. Staff have effective strategies to help children manage their emotions. This helps them to de-escalate situations. When using physical intervention, this is proportionate. Staff gain the child’s views after the incident. The manager has oversight of these incidents, but the recording of what has happened is not always clear. This does not ensure effective learning from events.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Incidents of children going missing are infrequent and usually of short duration. Staff respond promptly, maintaining telephone contact and ensuring that children are spoken to on return. However, risk assessments do not consistently detail clear timescales for staff when managing these incidents. For example, plans do not outline timeframes for when staff should call the police for each child. This results in staff being uncertain about when to escalate concerns to external agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children and is committed to providing them with stability and a sense of belonging. She has improved staffing consistency since the last inspection, with no agency staff used, enabling children to build enduring relationships with their carers. The manager has identified and addressed areas for development, including the use of key work. A tracker has been introduced, which has improved the consistency and quality of key-work sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and reflective supervision and team meetings. These sessions provide effective support and challenge, enabling staff to explore the emotional impact of their work and consider how practice can be improved. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 5 The manager also uses focused supervisions to swiftly identify and address any shortfalls in staff performance. This targeted oversight fosters a positive and nurturing working environment. Staff say that they feel well supported by both the manager and senior leaders. One staff member commented, ‘I love working here. Children and staff get on well, and I know the manager cares about me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a thorough induction, which prepares them well to work with children in their care. They receive ongoing relevant training to meet the children’s needs. This is closely monitored by the manager, to ensure that any gaps in internal training are identified and addressed. This helps staff to support children with their individual vulnerabilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s oversight and monitoring has lacked consistency. Some records are unclear, including one incident where it was not accurately documented whether a child had accessed train tracks while missing from care. Children have also had some restrictions placed on unsupervised time, which were not reviewed consistently. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 6

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Statutory requirement

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that management oversight is consistent and that risk assessments are dynamically and meaningfully updated as the children’s needs change and emerge. 8 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the garden is well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hexagon Care, 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on- Ribble, Preston PR2 2YQ

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Inspectors

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1241776 9 inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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